Christmas Shopping
by aerinoutlander
Summary: Teenage Sherlock is forced to go shopping by Mycroft in resentment, but he is met with a interesting surprise. Also, featuring Child John.


Hello, This is my Chrismas story based on a song I hope you enjoy it. I made it generic enough I hope that it can be any mall or shopping... opps I'm giving some away. I hope you enjoy it and review. I do not own Sherlock. Also, this may cause sniffles or tears.

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Sherlock sneered at the shoppers flittering to get that last gift because a) someone they didn't expect gave them a gift so they felt the need to reciprocate or b) they didn't know what they were getting at last minute if anything. Christmas decorations were everywhere, draped along benches and balconies. So called deals of the season was plastered on store front windows decorated with white lettering with red backgrounds and often a Christmas picture. He felt disgust at the particularly colorful shoppers in their blinding holiday sweaters. He was huddled up in the many benches that lined the center of the mall glaring off at any shopper that would attempt to sit down with him to rest. Sherlock grumbled under his breath because not sooner than an hour earlier his brother bundled him up and stranded him there in an effort to get Sherlock to buy his mother a gift for Christmas. Sherlock then snorted not as if stranding him there will do the job anyway he had other means at his hand that Mycroft would not expect.

Sherlock, then, noticed the central of the mall getting more crowded as the hour went on and while he didn't understand the necessary of Christmas he went over the check list in his head.

Mum…. Check, No thanks to you Mycroft! (Sherlock had gotten her gift early in the season and hid it)

Father. Check.

Mycroft. Sherlock grinned evilly at this. Double check.

The maids and the butlers already have their stipend so no reciprocate necessary…

Sherlock made a face; her really did not understand the need of people to be nice on one day a year when they are not the rest of the year. Sherlock, then, remembered that it would get colder in a few days, more than normal; maybe he should buy something for his information network to help them through it. It wasn't like they could use Sherlock's experiments or anything and Mycroft already said he would foot any bill charged today. So, with a sigh, he shouldered his way through the throng to get to one of the new department stores.

First he had to pass an area of scents and perfumes that sent his nose numb. He didn't understand why people did not use subtler scents, and indeed used scents that did not go together well. He then passed the shoe racks, noting and cataloging each type for future reference. Something caught his eye behind one of the racks. It looked like one of the new homeless children he made sure his network got to first so that they knew the rules and had a better chance to survive. However, he noted that this one still had his parents and a sibling too for however dirty he was. So, the family was tight on money recently? Maybe he is looking at shoes for himself for his seemed much worn down.

Sherlock however paid it no mind; it was not his business nor anyone else's. With that he carried on to the coat sections. While in the coat sections he made sure to look for durable and warm coats, but made sure they did not look pricy. Indeed, it would not do a homeless person well if they got a new coat but was robbed of it or even killed. He frowned at this thought. They were his and anyone who tried to harm them would have a nice problem waiting for them.

After, he gathered up the coats that would pose the least trouble he preceded to one of the many long lines at the circle desks of the store. While he waited in line, he noted the shoppers in front of him. The first was a teenage girl and in rebellion for she just broken up with one boyfriend, a year older, and started going out with another the next day and indeed not a virgin in either relationship. The next was a woman mid fifties with two adult children and several dogs, and one home husband. After, her came a young adult girl, recently lost weight and surprisingly succeeding at it. Finally…

Here, Sherlock's mind stuttered to a stop. It was the boy, the boy he saw earlier among the racks of shoes. His mind greedily took in details he ignored before. The boy carried a small piggy bank on top of shoe box marked for women's shoes. Sherlock frowned it was not often children bought gifts like that for adults if at all. He continued to catalog the small boy in front of him. Blond hair, blue eyes and short for his age. One parent, sick, terminal. The other, rarely home and usually at work. Both were loyal to each other. His sibling, brother, going by the piggy bank which and had childishly marked on the side To: John, From: Harry. The boy bounced as much as he could in excitement without losing his cargo.

Unfortunately, for Sherlock the line moved faster than he anticipated and it was the boy's turn. The boy quickly put the box of shoes on the counter for the cashier to ring up. The cashier flashed the traditional store professional smile, while he rang it up. The cashier then told the small boy the price at which the boy carefully slid over the piggy bank too. The cashier turned the bank over and pulled out the rubber stopper sending a cascade of small change onto the counter. Sherlock felt a bit yancy at waiting because of it but he was still intrigued so he kept his silence.

While the cashier patiently counted and stacked the small change into recognizable stacks of dollars, the boy egged the cashier to hurry with wide eyes. He explained that the shoes, size 8 1/2 , were for his mother. His father seemed to have explained to him that she might not make it so he wanted to buy the new shoes to make sure she felt beautiful before and when she passed. The cashier started to get tearied eye while Sherlock looked on with a straight face.

The cashier, finally, finished counting the change and informed the boy, " I'm sorry, but there's not enough here."

The boy looked down ready to cry and tried to riffle through his pockets for non-existant change for he wanted to get it for his mother badly. Finally, he slowed to a stop and looked back up. His eyes were filled with held back tears. He slowly turned around ignoring the money and shoes on the counter and straightened his back and tried to walk away, but was stopped by Sherlock. The boy was overwhelmed at this time and started to spill about his mother and how she took care of him and how he wished, wished he could give her the shoes. Sherlock, throughout it, calmly did not do anything but reached into his pocket, there he drew out a set of bills and laid them on the counter.

The boy seeing the movement looked back at the counter and gasped for it was the money he needed! Sherlock watched the boy's eyes start to shine and mouth split into a smile that encompassed most of his face. The cashier was quietly sobbing through the exchange and rung up the money and placed it in a bag to carry. The boy then stop smiling hesitated and looked back between the two of them and finally rested upon Sherlock's face. Sherlock gave miniscule nod. The boy's face lit up again and grabbed the bag before running away thanking Sherlock every step of the way on his way out.

Sherlock softened his eyes watching him go. Then, Sherlock pulled his mask up tighter and faced the cashier and thrusted the coats at her and told her to ring them up with a hard face. After all, he must experiment with this new data. He did not know people's eyes could shine like that or their face's could glow. This needed serious experimentation… and perhaps this incident could go in the do not delete pile for the day…..

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I hope you enjoyed this and please again review.


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